Reston National Golf Course Group Surprised By Response To 'Cooperative' Pilot: Letter

RESTON, VA —Greg Hamm, president of New City Enterprises, which represents Reston National Golf Course owners Weller Development Co. and War Horse Cities, submitted the following letter to Patch in response to the one from Nandini Rao, president of the Hunters Green Cluster Association, published on Friday.

To the Editor:

I’m surprised to see that members of Hunter’s Green Board of Directors have apparently changed their minds and will instead reject cooperative action on the invasive plant species pilot program. We’ve had many good discussions and a Hunter’s Green Board member actually proposed one of the sites for pilot program.

Invasive plant species do not respect property lines and the problem will continue to grow worse without cooperation. Every homeowner in Hunters Green, not just the board, has a direct interest in protecting the tree canopy and the vegetation surrounding the cluster and the neighborhood. The study by Wetland Studies and Solutions, Inc. (WSSI), the leading Virginia firm on the subject, was independently verified by a second outstanding firm, Biohabitats. They clearly defined the scale of the problem, devised the treatment methodology and provided pre-bid cost estimates. If the Board has an assessment from other experts, we’d be pleased to review it.

The pilot is comprised of two parts, Areas A and B. Area A is entirely on Reston National land and is adequately separated from other infested areas to warrant stand-alone treatment. We will proceed with the pilot on Area A as proposed.

Area B is made up of land from Reston National and Hunter’s Green, with a significant shared buffer area. We offered to pay for all the cost of a “best in class” remediation program, including the necessary re-planting of a native landscape, without any contingencies or obligations on the part of Hunters Green. If the Board would now like to pay their pro-rata share for Area B, please let us know and we’ll include Area B in our bid package.

It’s understandable that uncertainty causes us to hold on to the status quo as we know it. But change is already happening in plain sight. A half-century of dis-investment in the neighborhood has left our status quo unsustainable. There are real opportunities to secure an even better future if we work together.

Greg Hamm
Reston National Study Group

Related:

Hunters Green Cluster Says No To Invasive Species Plan: Letter

Invasive Species Pilot Program Proposed For Hunters Green Cluster